THE PROGRESS OF THE PILGRIMS

The Pilgrims were a group of separatists in England in the early 1600's. Separatists were people who wanted to leave the Church of England to start their own church. They wanted to leave because they no longer shared that church's beliefs and practices. The problem for them was that membership in the Church of England was required by law in England. Their desire to start their own church led to persecution and legal trouble. Persecution is mistreatment or punishment of a group of people because of their beliefs. The Pilgrims made plans to start a new colony in North America, where they could practice their religion freely.

Tensions eased after the two groups chose to write an agreement to keep order. This agreement was called the Mayflower Compact. The document called for the colonists to have meetings to discuss issues, elect leaders, and to vote on just and equal laws. The compact set up a system of self government. It was the first written plan for democratic government in North America.

BAD TIMES, GOOD TIMES

The colonists moved to Plymouth in December 1620 after weeks of exploring the region. The first winter in the colony was terrible. The colonists began building shelter, but poor weather, sickness, and scares food took its toll. About half of the Plymouth colonists died that first winter. Conditions improved during the following spring.